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10 Things To Do With $1,000 (Other Than Go To Sean Spicer’s Book Launch Party)

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Because the U.S. is a trash fire right now and some people will gladly pay as much money as they can to line up and watch it burn, tickets for Sean Spicer’s book launch party are selling for up to $1,000.

shade a tale of two presidents by pete souza book coverThe gut reaction to that news around the BR water cooler (serving book club wine wishes and dewey decimal dreams) ranged from “let’s make a video of us burning $1,000 to spite Spicey” to “let’s send Spicer 100 potted hedges and a copy of The Complete Houseplant Survival Manual” to my favorite “preorder 500 copies of Shade to give to your ‘special’ friends and family members this holiday season.”

Cooler heads prevailed, however, and we came up with some more constructive things to do with that $1k we saved by not supporting the pratfall comedy wing of the current regime.

  • Give it to the Flint Public Library in Flint, Michigan. $1,000 will sponsor six Saturdays of STEM programming for kids in 2nd–6th grades.
  • Donate to Planned Parenthood. While you’re there, you can send a message to your Senator to reject Trump’s Supreme Court nominee and protect abortion rights for women.
  • Help the ACLU fight for the rights of families being separated at the border.
  • Get yourself four Tak sets on Patrick Rothfuss’s Worldbuilders Market. All proceeds raised go directly to the Worldbuilder’s charity.
  • Give to the Trevor Project and help them continue their mission of supporting LGBTQ teens. $1,000 is enough for them to train four counselors.
  • Just because Pruitt is out doesn’t mean the gutting of the EPA is over. Give to the Sierra Club to continue their mission of protecting the environment.
  • Not sure where to get your news from now that media bias is at a decidedly fever pitch? Supporting ProPublica and their mission of independent, nonprofit, investigative journalism is a good start.
  • Along those lines, PolitiFact is my favorite resource when I want to dig into media claims and separate truth from fiction. Plus, for just $500 you get your own Pants on Fire sticker. Feel free to hand it out the next time your in-laws come over.
  • With the school year just around the corner, discussions about student safety and gun control are most definitely going to foment once more. The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence is looking to fight the pro-gun lobby and pro-gun organizations like the NRA.
  • Did I mention the part about families being separated at the border? The ACLU not your bag? No worries, you can give your $1,000 of non-Spicey book launch money to Families Belong Together.